(2021-04-02). How Cutting Down Military Spending Could Bring About Peace. popularresistance.org Since the end of WWII, especially since the breakup of the Soviet Union, it appears as if US political leaders feel they are trapped in a time warp and are unable to break free. They seem to believe that they must repeat the same disastrous foreign policy of regime change over and over. Since 9/11, the US has attacked or supported attacks against Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen. | The attacks, especially the horrendous US-led war crime against Iraq, have destabilized and created havoc in the Middle East, devastated these nations and caused death and appalling suffering for the people. | In addition, the…
(2021-04-02). Two More Venezuelan Soldiers Killed by Colombian Paramilitaries in Apure. orinocotribune.com 
This Thursday, April 1, two Venezuelan soldiers died as a result of the detonation of a landmine by Colombian criminal groups upon a patrol operating in the El Ripial sector of José Antonio Páez municipality, in Apure state, where the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) is executing operation Bolivarian Shield 2021 against drug trafficking and paramilitary cells, which intend to enter Venezuelan territory to expand their criminal networks. | "We report that First Sergeant Andriel Istúriz Sojo and Second Sergeant Jesús Alexander Vásquez Pérez died today," read a statement by the Venezuelan ministry for defense…
(2021-04-02). An Unannounced Rupture in Venezuelan Politics. counterpunch.org 
The brilliant Venezuelan thinker Reinaldo Iturriza has been writing about "disaffiliation" recently. Iturriza believes that a great many Chavista voters and militants have become disaffiliated. They are not exactly depoliticized, in his view. Rather, the country's politics has become so empty — lacking in substance — that they are standing aside and waiting. Iturriza has
(2021-04-02). Four FundaREDES 'Candid Activists' Detained in Apure State. orinocotribune.com 
On March 31, Venezuelan NGO FundaREDES denounced the arrest of two of its members in Apure state, and of two journalists from the Colombian channel NTN24 by the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB). | The opposition activist Javier Tarazona is promoting a smear campaign on social media, referring to the "forced disappearance" of four Venezuelans for allegedly "documenting the violation of human rights in the area" by Venezuelan military deployed to defend Venezuelan sovereignty. | These claims are contradicted by the fact that, while claiming a missing persons case, organizations like the National Union of Press Worke…
(2021-04-02). China Isn't the Problem, Neoliberalism Is. counterpunch.org 
The ascendance of Wall Street, and of a managerial bureaucracy (PMC) more generally, largely explains the political realignments that have been playing out in the U.S. Beginning in the 1970s, the American political class made decisions at the behest of business interests and oligarchs to restructure the U.S. economy in ways intended to shift the balance of political and economic power towards capital. Finance was, and still is, the method of affecting this transfer of power. However, the current epoch of finance capitalism has run its course. Its logic has been lost. The threats to the neoliberal order are now in…
(2021-04-02). Stumbling into War? Could the U.S. and China Face an Unintended Blowup in the Western Pacific in the Biden Years? juancole.com 
( Tomdispatch.com) — The leaders of China and the United States certainly don't seek a war with each another. Both the Biden administration and the regime of Chinese President Xi Jinping view economic renewal and growth as their principal objectives. Both are aware that any conflict arising between them, even if restricted to Asia and …
(2021-04-02). A Feminist Revolt. counterpunch.org 
With right-wing hysteria about the feminization of the military landing on our laptops recently, now is a good time to focus on issues dear to the hearts of actual feminists, namely, housing, health and education. These concerns were embraced, very strikingly, by feminists in apartheid South Africa. Toward the end of apartheid, many Black people
(2021-04-02). Is the Long War Finally Ending? counterpunch.org 
In October 1944, with the end of World War II in sight, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin passed a note back and forth to each other at a conference in Moscow. On the piece of paper, Churchill had assigned percentages to several Eastern European countries. Stalin amended the numbers, and Churchill agreed. The deal remained
(2021-04-02). Let's end the insanity of colossal military spending during a global health emergency. dissidentvoice.org 
Imagine what could be achieved if just a portion of the money spent on military expenditures were pooled into a global fund, and redirected towards ending hunger and massively investing in public health systems. ***** If nations had a referendum, asking the public if they want their taxes to go to military weapons that are …
(2021-04-02). $13,000-plus kicks off FRSO fundraising drive. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN — More than $13,000 has been donated to the Freedom Road Socialist Origination (FRSO) Spring Fundraising drive as of March 31, and thousands more are expected in the upcoming week. Given the rapid growth of FRSO, funds are being raised for a national office and staff, with the aim of carrying out a big leap forward in our efforts to build a strong, revolutionary organization. | A number of members and supporters of FRSO are donating their $1400 stimulus checks. | Sarah Martin, a long time FRSO member and anti-war activist, is giving $1400. Martin stated, "I contributed to the FRSO funding dr…
(2021-04-02). New Developments In Alex Saab Case. popularresistance.org The plot around the kidnapping of the Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab in Cape Verde peaks, intensifies and continues to be a trending topic on Twitter, while the United States government relentlessly applies pressure to bring the diplomat to its territory. | Meanwhile, social media networks again reflect opinions about the case—#EEUUCompraCaboVerde was a trending topic in Venezuela this Wednesday, March 31. This, with respect to the most recent movements of Washington through a policy that, in general, is based on blackmail and financial suffocation. | The complaints about new agreements signed between the US…
(2021-04-02). CrossTalk: Democracy vs autocracy. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com CrossTalkApril 2, 2021 Democracy vs autocracy Historically speaking, the Cold War was a great ideological confrontation. Western liberalism vs Soviet communism. According to Joe Biden, the great geopolitical struggle of our time is democracy vs autocracy. For Biden, we are in another great ideological struggle. But there is a difference: the West, particularly the US, …
(2021-04-02). Speaking Out for Women of Color Nominees. counterpunch.org Women know that our progress is often characterized by two steps forward, one step back. For women of color, the obstacles are even greater. And so, as the Biden-Harris administration makes a groundbreaking effort to nominate more women of color to high-level positions, the backlash has been swift and vicious. Anyone watching cable news will
(2021-04-02). 1,100 Mine Workers In Alabama Are Going On Strike. popularresistance.org Over 1,100 workers at two Alabama coal mines and related facilities will go on strike starting Thursday, April 1, at 10: 30 pm. United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) issued the strike notice against Warrior Met Coal on behalf of the workers in the company's two coal mines and related facilities after negotiations over the latest contract failed. | The last contract was negotiated in 2016, as Warrior Met Coal was bringing the company out of the bankruptcy caused by its erstwhile owner, Walter Energy. As the union's press release details, it was on the backs of the labor and sacrifice of their workers that the compa…
(2021-04-02). Extinction Rebellion Sprays Bank Of England With 'Oil'. popularresistance.org City of London – Several people have been arrested as Extinction Rebellion's 'Fossil Fool' protesters sprayed the Bank of England with fake oil to highlight the "societal collapse" the activist group say global financial institutions are driving the planet towards. | XR's latest theatrical protest saw suit-clad activists descend on the heart of London's financial district, demanding the Bank of England regulate the banks which continue to fund fossil fuel companies. | The biodegradable fake oil, a mixture of black pond dye and guar gum extracted from beans, was sprayed from fire extinguishers onto the grand entra…
(2021-04-02). Republicans Intent on Destroying Democracy. counterpunch.org More than anything, every attempted liberal or progressive advance this country makes toward helping people will depend on one thing only: voter turnout. It proved its worth in the last presidential election when 81 million people dumped a madman and put Joe Biden in the White House. As for the conservative Republican Party, it seems
(2021-04-02). Afghanistan's Hekmatyar Urges Negotiators to Settle on Joint Peace Plan. news.antiwar.com Hezb-e Islami leader and former Afghan premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has limited political sway these days, but has regularly been brought into efforts at rapprochement in Afghanistan, and is now Hekmatyar says his party supports the pursuit of the peace process, and says several factions are pushing different sets of plans for post-war Afghanistan. He said he believes ultimately they will need to come together and unify in a single Afghan plan. | His plan appears to resemble the recently prop…
(2021-04-02). Iran Activates Fourth Cascade of Centrifuges to Enrich Uranium. news.antiwar.com The IAEA has confirmed that Iran has Iran intends to activate six cascades overall and enrich up to 5% purity. The new cascades are IR-2m centrifuges, more advanced and more efficient than those which Iran had at the start of the nuclear deal. | Under the deal, Iran was allowed to improve its centrifuge technology, but putting the new ver…
(2021-04-02). Report: Palestinian Authority President Refused Call With Blinken. news.antiwar.com Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused to accept a phone call from Secretary of State Antony Blinken in February, So far, an Abbas-Biden call has not happened. Meanwhile, President Biden has spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu twice since he was elected. The two leaders spoke in a congratulatory call after Biden's November victory and once…
(2021-04-02). Nord Stream 2 Operator Warns Warships and Planes Threaten the Russia-Germany Pipeline Project. news.antiwar.com A senior official from Nord Stream 2 AG, the project company leading the Nord Stream 2 Russia to Germany natural gas pipeline project, "Higher activity of naval vessels, airplanes and helicopters and civilian vessels of foreign states is observed in the work area after restarted construction of the offshore segment of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, whose actions are often clearly provocative," said Nord Stream…
(2021-04-02). Do We Really Want a Second Cold War? zcomm.org The protection of human rights is being geopolitically manipulated to mobilize public support for an anti-Chinese foreign policy in the West that risks generating a dangerous geopolitical confrontation…
(2021-04-02). Stumbling into War? zcomm.org Could the U.S. and China Face an Unintended Blowup in the Western Pacific in the Biden Years?>
(2021-04-02). The Dangers of Factionalism in DSA. zcomm.org If the Left is to succeed where past generations have failed, it can't allow sectarian organizations to operate as "parties within a party"
(2021-04-02). Germany's Political Crisis and the Future of Nord Stream 2. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Written by J.Hawk exclusively for SouthFront. | In a Blinken of an Eye: | The Biden Administration entered the White House accompanied by hopes that it would return to some kind of normal in its relations with the European Union. While Biden, unlike Obama, would not score a Nobel Peace Prize solely for his existence, his victory was warmly welcomed in capitals around Europe as a sign that liberalism would vanquish populism ushering in a new era of "business as usual"
(2021-04-02). Kiev Scrambles To Justify The Incoming Storm. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Kiev government is going to great lengths to attempt and justify its incoming attempts at escalating the situation in Eastern Ukraine and towards Crimea. | On April 1st, but not as a joke, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow is trying to put pressure on Kiev by amassing its military forces along the Russian-Ukrainian border.In a Facebook post, Zelensky noted he would highlight two points in the issue of war and peace. "First of all, it's about Donbas. Indeed, escala…
(2021-04-02). The Assassination and Resurrection of Martin Luther King, Jr. globalresearch.ca "I don't believe in death without resurrection. If they kill me, …
(2021-04-02). Headlines for April 2, 2021. democracynow.org Ex-Supervisor Says Derek Chauvin's Fatal Restraint of George Floyd Violated Use-of-Force Policies , Texas Senate Passes Republican-Led Voter Suppression Bill, Texas Rangers Baseball Stadium to Open at Full Capacity Despite Surging Coronavirus Cases, U.N. Warns Burma Headed for Civil War as Military Junta Continues Brutal Crackdown, At Least 51 Dead, Dozens More Injured in Taiwan Train Crash , Arizona ICE Jail Violated Prisoners' Rights and Failed to Prevent COVID-19 Outbreak, Biden Holds First Cabinet Meeting as Debate over Infrastructure Plan Continues, Unemployment Claims Rise as Pandemic Recovery Remains Uneve…
(2021-04-02). Beirut explosion: Germany to propose port reconstruction with 'strings attached'. middleeasteye.net 
Beirut explosion: Germany to propose port reconstruction with 'strings attached' | Multi-billion-dollar proposal aimed at enticing Lebanese politicians to form a government capable of warding off financial collapse | Fri, 04/02/2021 – 10: 31 | Eight months after the port disaster, many Lebanese who lost family, homes or businesses are still awaiting the results of an investigation into the…
(2021-04-02). "Global Britain": Flying Flags, Banging War Drums and Going Down the Nuclear Plughole. counterpunch.org Many Britons are in despair about the direction their country has taken under the fraud Boris Johnson. But there are not yet enough of them to make any difference. The United Kingdom is in a dire condition, socially and economically, and as with other countries has a major crisis on its hands in having to
(2021-04-02). The Liberal Contempt for Martin Luther King's Final Year. indybay.org An antiwar message ignored…
(2021-04-02). The Vaccine Must Be a Common Good for Humanity. dissidentvoice.org 
Vladimir Griuntal' and G. Iablonovskii (USSR), Chto eto takoe? ('What is This?') 1932. Nearly three million people have reportedly been killed by the novel coronavirus (SAR-CoV-2) and upwards of 128 million people have been infected by the virus, many with long-lasting health repercussions. Thus far, roughly 1.5% of the world's population of 7.7 billion have …
(2021-04-02). Mutations Could Render Current COVID Vaccines Ineffective in a Year or Less, Epidemiologists Warn. globalresearch.ca We bring to the attention of our readers an important article by …
(2021-04-02). The Derek Chauvin Trial Is One Battle in a Wider War. thenation.com The Derek Chauvin Trial Is One Battle in a Wider War…
(2021-04-02). Are the US and China Stumbling Into War? thenation.com Are the US and China Stumbling Into War?
(2021-04-01). Syria War: Who Are The Real Anti-Imperialists? popularresistance.org In the history of post-World War Two US imperialism, there have been various cases of aggression against countries and regimes that many anti-imperialist, socialist leftists around the world have considered reactionary, or at least not worthy of their support. | In some cases, there was a consensus that while the regime in question was not to be defended, the imperialist aggression against it was not intended to save people from its dictatorial predations, but rather to secure imperialist hegemony and economic profits that would continue to oppress people. Even in cases when anti-imperialists thought the targeted…
(2021-04-01). Amazon workers in Germany strike for binding collective agreements. peoplesdispatch.org Workers of six Amazon warehouses in Germany went on a 4 day strike demanding an increase in wages and to recognize binding collective agreements for the retail sector…
(2021-04-01). #EEUUCompraCaboVerde: New Developments in Alex Saab Case. orinocotribune.com 
The plot around the kidnapping of the Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab in Cape Verde peaks, intensifies and continues to be a trending topic on Twitter, while the United States government relentlessly applies pressure to bring the diplomat to its territory. | Meanwhile, social media networks again reflect opinions about the case—#EEUUCompraCaboVerde was a trending topic in Venezuela this Wednesday, March 31. This, with respect to the most recent movements of Washington through a policy that, in general, is based on blackmail and financial suffocation. | The complaints about new agreements signed between the US…
(2021-04-01). Egypt's Sisi threatens 'Instability that no one Can Imagine": Will the Next Mideast War be over Water? juancole.com 
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The closure of the Suez Canal for a week by the Ultra Large Container Ship, the Ever Given, signaled the importance to world commerce and energy supplies of the canal, through which some 12 percent of world trade passes. Another danger to that world artery, which connects the Indian Ocean …
(2021-04-01). Big changes needed to bring kicked-out women back to work. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Big changes, in financing, social programs, and male-centered attitudes towards work and its worth, are needed to bring the millions of working women whom coronavirus-caused closures kicked out of their jobs back into the labor force. Three panelists drew that conclusion at a March 31 seminar hosted by the National Press Foundation, a D.C.-based think …
(2021-04-01). Life in prison: New York trial exposes alliance between U.S. government, right wing drug kingpin. liberationnews.org 
The United States claims to be waging a "war on drugs" internationally, but is perfectly content to ally itself with drug kingpins if they agree to submit to Washington's dictates.
(2021-04-01). Jorge Arreaza: Colombia's Reaction Confirms Accurate Blow to Narco-Paramilitaries in Apure. orinocotribune.com Foreign Affairs Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, criticized Colombia's response to the actions of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces in Apure state, labeling them as "absurd, fanciful and schizoid." Arreaza was referring to an interview conducted by the Colombian news outlet Noticias RCN with the Colombian minister for defense, Diego Molano, who tried to implicate the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) with FARC dissidents, in an attempt to hide the responsibility of his government in the recent clashes between the Venezuelan Army and Colombian criminal groups. | Arreaza wrot…
(2021-04-01). The US lost the Afghanistan War and is finally Leaving, but can Biden win the Peace? juancole.com ( Foreign Policy in Focus) — In October 1944, with the end of World War II in sight, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin passed a note back and forth to each other at a conference in Moscow. On the piece of paper, Churchill had assigned percentages to several Eastern European countries. Stalin amended the numbers, …
(2021-04-01). Government Offices Occupied Across Nova Scotia. popularresistance.org Kjipuktuk (Halifax) — After 23 days Jacob Fillmore is ending his hunger strike in support of a temporary clearcutting moratorium on Nova Scotia Crown lands. He made the announcement during a well-attended rally at Province House, the third one in as many weeks. | "I am feeling increasingly weaker, especially mentally things are getting harder and harder," he told an appreciative and grateful crowd. | This fight is far from over. As I take a step back folks across the province are stepping up," he said. | "If asking politely doesn't work, we are not afraid to resort to peaceful nonviolent direct action. When…
(2021-04-01). Nicaragua And The Western Human Rights Industry. popularresistance.org Every area of reporting has become increasingly shaped by corporate funding either directly or else indirectly, via government bodies strongly under corporate influence. The Western intellectual managerial classes have generally abandoned basic reporting standards. This is self-evident to anyone who has tried to challenge false received wisdom in relation to NATO country aggression against sovereign nations from Cuba and Venezuela to Libya and Syria. | Western organizations and institutions claiming to be accountable and transparent are not — neither UN bodies nor regional institutions like the Organization…
(2021-04-01). The Blockade Against Cuba and Venezuela: If they Touch One, we all Respond. orinocotribune.com By Gabriela Cultelli — Mar 29, 2021 | March is the month of women, and the slogan "If they touch one, they touch us all" or "If they touch one, we all respond" as the song says, is more valid today than ever, it resounds everywhere. | The time has come to raise the voice for Cuban and Venezuelan women, because the economic blockade and the restrictive measures that the United States is carrying out against these sisters is a particularly aggressive form of gender violence, fundamentally affecting the most vulnerable populations, and therefore women, girls, young women, adults, workers of yesterday, today, to…
(2021-04-01). Subnational Elections in Bolivia: Another Vote of Confidence for MAS Party. orinocotribune.com By Peoples Dispatch — Mar 28, 2021 | The 240 out of the 336 elected mayors and 3 of the 5 elected governors in Bolivia belong to the ruling government of the progressive Movement Towards Socialism party | The results of the subnational elections held in Bolivia on March 7 confirm the faith of the Bolivian people in the ruling government of the progressive Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party and its transformation project. According to the results of the departmental, regional and municipal elections released on March 22, the MAS is the only party that has a broad presence in all the nine departments of th…
(2021-04-01). Australian government announces missile building program as US steps up war drive against China. wsws.org The plan has been welcomed by the most hawkish sections of the establishment, who have presented it as part of the preparations for an imminent war.
(2021-04-01). Cuba, Biden, and the Romantic Interlude. orinocotribune.com By Wafica Ibrahim — Mar 28, 2021 | For those who dreamed of an idyl between the United States and Cuba after Joe Biden's victory was confirmed in the U.S. elections, reality is starting to show the confrontational and interventionist nature of the U.S. establishment, once again. | As is the custom in "liberal democracies," after tallying up the final vote totals, the electoral campaign and its promises are left behind. Although in rallies and interviews, Biden may have promised indifferently to change policy toward Cuba and to return to the progress made by Barack Obama, the reality is that, with respect to…
(2021-04-01). Opposing All Governments Equally Is Supporting The Most Powerful Government. popularresistance.org The US-centralized empire is waging nonstop wars that have killed millions of human beings just since the turn of this century, and people will still say things like "We've really got to do something about Cuba." | The US-centralized empire is circling the planet with hundreds of military bases, working to destroy any nation which disobeys its dictates and brandishing armageddon weapons at its enemies like a drunken hillbilly with a shotgun, and people are still like "Something must be done about China's intellectual property theft!" | Among the violent and destructive governments in our world, one towers high ab…
(2021-04-01). China-Iran Deal Aims To Expand 'Common Interests In A Win-Win Manner'. popularresistance.org Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has presented "some points" of a landmark cooperation deal that was recently concluded between Beijing and Tehran. | In a message posted on his Instagram account on Thursday, Zarif underscored that the Sino-Iranian Comprehensive Strategic Partnership focuses on a "practical promotion" of bilateral ties and provides "a roadmap and long-term horizon" toward such relations. | According to him, the accord paves the way for full-blown collaboration between the two sides in the fields of politics, economy, trade, culture, defence, and security. | The Iranian foreign ministe…
